For Proof Reaganomics Was a Sham, Look to American CEOs’ Pay
CEO pay has jumped nearly 1,500 percent since 1978. It had nothing to do with hard work or greater productivity. Corporate bosses simply grabbed what they could.
492 Article(s) by: Luke Savage
Luke Savage is the author of The Dead Center: Reflections on Liberalism and Democracy After the End of History and a writer on Substack.
Barack Obama Still Doesn’t Get It
A recently unearthed conversation between Barack Obama and reporters, held days before Donald Trump took office, reveals an outgoing president unable to let go of his allegiance to the “norms”-venerating, elite-driven politics that doomed his presidency.
State Governments Are Colluding With Billionaires to Shield Their Wealth From Taxation
You’ve heard about tax havens like the Cayman Islands. But billionaires aren’t just dodging their taxes with international loopholes — US states have turned their tax codes into plutocratic rackets where billionaires can stash their cash tax-free.
Christopher Hitchens Was Good Before He Was Bad
A new collection of early writings by Christopher Hitchens reveals the writer as a scourge of American imperialism who skewered Cold War hypocrisies in shining prose. But it also foreshadows Hitchens’s post-9/11 transformation into a neoconservative mascot.
Anti-Poverty Programs Work, and the Pandemic Is Proof
A new analysis from the Economic Policy Institute shows what the Left has always argued: that our best tool in the fight against poverty is redistributive social spending.
Canadians Deserve to Vote on Breaking With the Monarchy
New polling suggests that a majority of Canadians want a vote on maintaining their country’s link to the British Crown. Imagine that: a long-overdue, democratic debate on cutting ties with a wildly undemocratic institution.
There’s Never Been a Better Moment to Disempower the Supreme Court
For the first time in living memory, the Supreme Court is facing a crisis of popular legitimacy. Let’s make the most of it.
Canada’s New Right-Wing Conservative Leader Is Saying What the Party Faithful Believe
In the contest for leadership of Canada’s Conservative Party, MP Pierre Poilievre has won a resounding victory, sparking fears of a slide into Trumpism. But Poilievre’s leadership represents continuity with the party’s past more than a break with it.
Canada’s Elites Are Toasting the Monarchy. Most Canadians Couldn’t Care Less.
In Canada, most citizens are indifferent to the British Crown — making the official Canadian spectacle of mass mourning for Queen Elizabeth II feel particularly ridiculous.
In 1937, Canadian Autoworkers Took on General Motors — and Won
For 16 days in 1937, thousands of workers at Oshawa’s General Motors plant in Ontario went on strike, stood firm against brutal efforts to crush them, and helped bring industrial unionism to Canada. Today, their heroism is seldom remembered.
Creeping Corporate Medicine Is Undermining Canadian Health Care
Canada’s health system is both more efficient and more equitable than its US counterpart. But its achievements have been undermined by years of government underinvestment, leading to the growth of outsourcing to private clinics.
Russia’s Oligarchs Are Stashing Their Wealth Abroad — Just Like America’s
The techniques Russian billionaires use to avoid taxes and hide their wealth are the same ones American billionaires use. In fact, they often execute them with the help of the same Western companies.
Wall Street Bonuses Are Out of Control
As workers struggled throughout the pandemic, Wall Street bonuses hit a nearly 15-year high.
To Understand the DC Political Swamp, Look No Further Than Its Consultant Class
Democrats pledge to fight corporate interests while on the campaign trail, yet those interests are deeply embedded in the party’s networks and institutions. The political consulting industry is at the core of this conflict.
Aleksandr Dugin Is the Reactionary Prophet of Russian Ultranationalism
Most have never heard of Aleksandr Dugin or his obscure Traditionalist philosophy. But both have quietly become important influences on Russian politics over the past few decades.
Jordan Peterson’s “Postmodern Neomarxism” Is Pure Hokum
Jordan Peterson’s recent musings on what he calls “postmodern neomarxism” — enriched by hours of careful research on Wikipedia — are a reminder that when it comes to intellectuals, the reactionary right isn’t sending its best.
Canada’s Liberals Are Letting the Wealthy Write Their Own Tax Policy
Justin Trudeau’s government loves to tout its commitment to combating inequality. Now it’s pushing a special tax break for private jets.
Oil Company Profits Have Surged. It’s Time to Tax the Windfall.
Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a chorus of voices is trying to convince ordinary consumers that paying higher gas prices is some kind of patriotic act. Big Oil doesn’t need the extra profits — it needs to have those profits taxed away.
Employers Are Running Unchecked Workplace Dictatorships Across America
Under free and democratic conditions, millions of American workers would probably join a union tomorrow. Thanks to laws heavily slanted toward bosses, unionization votes resemble the sham elections of tin-pot dictatorships.
Canada’s Freedom Convoy Exposed the Sham of “Pro-Worker” Conservatism
For right-wing advocates of so-called pro-worker conservatism, the Canada trucker protest known as the Freedom Convoy should have been a breakthrough. But the entire idea that conservatives care about the interests of working-class people is a mirage.